Ask Me Anything: Muscle Cannabalism?

Hey Doug, I was wondering what “Muscle Cannibalism” is and what I should do to avoid it.  Thanks.

If you want to avoid “muscle cannibalism” then avoid trekking in the Sierras with a group of people, get lost, sleep in a cave and then run out of food while waiting to be rescued.  I think what you are referring to is Muscle “Catabolism” which is simply that breakdown of muscle tissue.

I’m going to keep this simple; you cannot avoid muscle catabolism because you need a little bit of it for muscle anabolism (the growing of muscle).  Every time you train you will have some muscle catabolism going on and then upon proper recovery with nutrition and rest an anabolic state will occur and hopefully that process balances or slightly exceeds the catabolic process so you can maintain and/or increase your muscle mass.

The two athletic populations that are most concerned about the negative effects of catabolism are bodybuilders and endurance athletes. The primary goal of bodybuilding is to put on as much muscle mass as possible so that is why they eat a ton, take supplements and sleep as much as they can to keep catabolism to a minimum.  Endurance athletes push their bodies to the limit in terms of exercise volume.  They go for hours running, climbing, and riding.  The amount of energy needed to maintain these tasks is huge so naturally when they run out of nutrients they consume, the proteins in the muscles are used and muscle breakdown occurs.  This is why you see riders looking emaciated at the end of the Tour de France than when they started.  Yes, they lost body fat too but there is some good muscle breakdown going on.

So if you are not a bodybuilder or an endurance athlete and you eat correctly, stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep, you should not have to worry about anything unless you go hiking in the Sierras in the winter, like I mentioned.

Thanks for the question

Tags: anabolics, Nutrition

Ask Me Anything: Muscle Recovery

Q:  I have questions about muscle recovery: Are there any hard and fast rules about the amount and types of protein I should consume after a workout? How soon after a workout should I eat? Are they a necessity, a luxury or am I wasting my money on ready-made protein drinks like muscle milk and EAS?

Also, what about muscle recovery as it relates to rest and time off in between workouts? I’ve been told that because your muscles need the time to recover and grow, you should not exercise the same muscle group two days in a row. Is this true? On my off days from weight training, I try to do a cardio workout, some stretches for flexibility and some push-ups and planks. If I worked chest and abs the day before, am I working against myself by doing the push-ups and planks?

Recovering from Reps-

A:  Thanks for the questions.  These are two good ones that come up quite often.  In regards to post workout nutrient consumption I feel that it is important to get something into your system immediately especially if your goal is to build muscle.  It may be difficult to consume whole food sources right after a tough workout, so a post workout drink may be best.  Your goals will determine what types of nutrients are in the shake.  If you are trying to increase your bodyweight/build muscle then you will want a shake that is high in protein and carbohydrates.  If you are interested in muscle maintenance then a very low carbohydrate protein drink may be right for you.

In terms of brands I would do a little research on reputable companies and then get a simple whey protein that is low in sugar for maintenance and one that has more carbohydrates for muscle building.  Check out this protein calculator that allows you to add your specific goals to the formula and it can give you an estimate of how much you should take in daily and per meal.

http://www.serranonutrition.com/index.php/tools/pc

My diet is one of high protein and I occasionally supplement with some whey protein after a workout.  I do try to get most of my protein for the day through whole food sources.

Shifting gears to your training questions it comes down to your goals and how you are training.  If you are trying to add muscle, splitting up body parts, and doing multiple exercises, sets and reps for these specific body parts then it may be difficult to work those muscles soon after.  If you are training differently and keeping the volume (number of sets and repetitions) low then you should not have a problem doing similar exercises the following day.

Tags: supplementation, whey protein

Strength Exercise Library – Foam Roll Series 1

This video demonstrates a foam roll series used for soft tissue work and restoration. Do about 20 rolls or until you fell you cannot get any better for that day. For some areas of the body, like hamstrings and calves, roll at three different positions (outside, middle, inside)

Series 1 exercise include:
Vertical Back Roll
Snow Angels
Horizontal Back Roll
Calves
Hamstrings
Glutes
IT Band/TFL (outer hip)
Quads
Lats

Tags: Foam Roll